Leading figures appointed Honorary Professors of GCU New York

Denise Restauri, author and CEO of GirlQuake, Maureen McGuire of Bloomberg L.P, and Dan Bena of PepsiCo, have been appointed as Honorary Professors of GCU New York.

Denise Restauri was the executive producer of the inaugural Forbes Women's Summit, which took place in New York City in 2013, and serves on the boards of a number of influential female-led organisations. Throughout her career, she has been committed to amplifying the voices of girls and women by giving them platforms to share their stories, define the notion of power and create a global force for positive change. She delivered a masterclass at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in Glasgow earlier this year.

Commenting on her appointment as Honorary Professor, she said: “I am so excited to be a part of GCU, helping students make their future a reality. Brilliant leadership, innovation, common good, success and education are all in the same sentence when it comes to describing GCU – it doesn't get better than that."

Dan Bena heads the Sustainable Development and Operations Outreach agenda for PepsiCo Global Operations, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies. He was recently elected to the Board of the US Water Alliance and the Creative Visions Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to using the media and the arts to develop agents of positive change. He took part in a Fashion Sharing Progress Town Hall event at GCU New York in March, discussing water efficiency in the fashion industry.

Maureen McGuire joined Bloomberg L.P, the leading provider in financial news and information, in 2009 as the company’s first Chief Marketing Officer. She stepped down from the position in 2014 and now works part-time at the company on special projects that focus on philanthropy, diversity and leadership. She sits on the Board of Advisors of Catalyst and the New York Philanthropy Board of UNICEF, and is a member of the US Women’s Forum of New York.

Cara Smyth, Vice President of GCU New York, said: “It is with great pleasure I welcome Dan Bena, Denise Restauri and Maureen McGuire as Honorary Professors.

“Under Dan’s guidance, PepsiCo has become a corporate leader in water efficiencies throughout its entire value chain. Denise amplifies the voices of girls and women, helping to shape the next generation of powerful innovators and disruptors. Maureen continues to position Bloomberg as a thought leader, contributing to many special projects that position the company as pioneers in the field of finance.

“Each individual exemplifies the University’s For the Common Good mission and I am thankful for each of their contributions in helping to shape our work in New York and across our campuses globally.”